AUBURN — Counties in northeastern Indiana are growing — just not as fast as the state as a whole.
According to figures released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau, LaGrange County had the highest rate of population growth from 2000 to 2010 in northeastern Indiana, moving from 34,909 residents in 2000 to 37,128 in 2010 — a 6.4 percent increase.
DeKalb County grew by 4.8 percent to 42,223 residents in 2010, while Steuben County grew at a 2.9 percent rate to 34,185, and Noble County saw its population increase by 2.7 percent to 47,536.
The state’s population grew at a 6.6 percent rate from 2000 to 2010, according to Census Bureau data.
The census brought good news and bad news for cities and towns in the four-county area, with smaller communities posting the biggest gains over the last decade.
Small towns
Fremont, Orland and Shipshewana each saw population growth of greater than 20 percent.
Fremont had 1,696 residents in 2000. The number grew by 442 residents, or 26.1 percent, to 2,138 in 2010.
“We had a number of housing developments in the last decade, especially early on,” said Fremont town manager Chris Snyder.
Snyder credited a good school system, good shopping opportunities and a low cost of living with helping to boost the town’s population levels.
Shipshewana added 122 residents to set its population at 658 in 2010, an increase of 22.8 percent.
“It speaks to the community itself,” town manager Sheryl Kelly said. “It’s a clean community. It’s orderly. It’s friendly.”
Kelly said people in Shipshewana look out for each other, whether it’s a resident or a business owner.
“When someone needs help, they rally around them,” Kelly said. “You can count on that.”
Avilla had Noble County’s fast-growing population, according to the census. Avilla grew by 17.3 percent, moving from 2,049 in 2000 to 2,401 in 2010.
“Avilla’s a nice place to live,” town manager Bill Ley said.
Until the economy tanked, Ley said, the town was issuing more than 30 new housing permits per year.
Higher population numbers can mean more tax revenue, including higher County Economic Development Income Tax and motor vehicle highway fund disbursements. Unfortunately, population growth in the opposite direction has a corresponding effect — lower revenues.
The towns of LaGrange, Hudson and Rome City all saw double-digit percentage drops in their population levels.
Rome City fell from 1,615 residents in 2000 to 1,361 in 2010, a drop of 254 residents or 15.7 percent.
“It’s concerning,” Rome City Town Council President Dave Abbott said Friday. “Puzzling is another word for it.”
Abbott said he and other town officials would be trying to determine if an error was made by census takers, and they may see whether the town can appeal the data.
The town of LaGrange also saw a large drop, losing 294 residents, or 10.1 percent of its population.
Town manager Mike Rowlison said recent economic woes have hit his community hard.
“There’s no jobs,” Rowlison said. “We’ve had a lot of people move away.”
Bigger cities
The city of Angola showed the largest percentage increase among communities with a population of at least 5,000 in northeastern Indiana. Angola counted 7,344 residents in 2000. That number grew by 1,268 in the last decade — or 17.3 percent — to 8,612.
“I think it’s a very positive indicator,” Angola city planner Julie Cole said. “We create a really nice balance of what we offer in terms of the natural resources, and we’ve also established a friendly place to do business.”
Garrett posted the next-highest percentage gain for larger cities at 10.1 percent. In 2000, Garrett had a population of 5,708. In 2010, the town’s population was 6,286.
Auburn posted a 5.4 percent gain, moving from 12,074 residents in 2000 to 12,731 in 2010.
Kendallville’s population also grew, but more slowly. Noble County’s largest community had a population of 9,616 in 2000. In 2010, the city’s population was 9,862, an increase of 2.6 percent.
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